Some commenter on al.com questioned why the boiler repair would take so long:

PNS2BFM: "The part needs fabricated..." - give me a break. Self-pitying
rationalizations aside, the "M" in A & M stands for Mechanical.
Develop a CAD drawing and put it out for bid. Figure out what the going
hourly rate is and offer double. A Google seach shows 6-10 machine
shops in the Huntsville area. I'm sure someone local would like some
of that work.

Jake Fury agreed, posting: I work in the plumbing mechanical business. 7 weeks for a part is ridiculous.

Some comments also focused on last week's appearance at Alabama A&M by controversial National of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan. But Farrakhan attended at the invitation of student groups, not the Alabama A&M administration.

whyube posted: Well they could have taken the money they paid super racist Farrakhan and fixed the plumbing. But their priorities were set.

DimonGirlie said the students should have moved to Thomas Hall rather than remaining at Palmer Hall. "This is the real story..."Students at Palmer Hall have been offered
the opportunity to move to nearby Thomas Hall in the middle of the
semester, but 95 students have chosen to remain at Palmer."

"this is lazy on their part...accommodations were made they chose not to move....trifling"

tinamw said the students should consider hiring a lawyer. "I currently run a 21-story residence hall on a university campus.
I've worked at other places in MS and AL. We've had parts go out at 3pm
that require fabrication and have had them the next day installed and
everything running smoothly. This is ridiculous. These students should
refer to the Student Rights and Responsibilities that Universites must
provide to students. Dormitories are required to follows same
guidelines as landlords. They should definitely ask a lawyer but they
will need to be able to show how moving would have been too big a burden
or how the new assignment would have been detrimental to the student."